How to make a consumer complaint
Step 5: Making a more formal complaint...
If your problem has gone on for some time and you are still getting nowhere, it's time to make a more formal complaint in writing.
Hold on to all other evidence such as copies of letters, emails, photographs, invoices, receipts, cheque stubs, quotations or contracts.
Always make sure your letter is sent to the right person or department. so ask for the name and address of their most senior person you can contact who deals with written complaints.
When writing your letter, please keep the following pointers in mind:
- Type your letter if possible
- Try to keep the letter short, clear and to the point
- Clearly set out the history of your case e.g. date of purchase and area of concern, who you spoke to
- Give a clear description of the goods/service so it is easily identifiable by the business i.e. serial numbers etc.
- State your rights under the legislation
- Say what you want them to do for your complaint to be resolved
- Give them a reasonable timescale to resolve the problem before you will consider other options
- Attach copies of any relevant documentation
- If there are lengthy details, put them at the end in an appendix or in an attached document
- We strongly recommend you send your letter by registered post so that you will have a record of delivery
Complaint letter templates
If you are unsure what to include in your letter, print out or download one of our sample complaint letter templates. These may not totally fit your case but they can be a good starting point to help you write the complaint.
Choose which type of letter applies to your case:
A complaint letter about faulty goods: | A complaint letter about poor service: |
>> Next step
<< Previous step